26th Annual Maryland Swim for Life

For full event details, please go to: http://swimforlife.swimdcac.org/

Quick Links:
Donate or Sponsor a Swimmer in Swim For Life!
Register as a Swimmer for the Event
Live Tally of Donations
Event Flyer

The District of Columbia Aquatics Club (DCAC) (www.swimdcac.org) is proud to host the 26th Annual Maryland Swim for Life on Saturday, July 15, 2017. DCAC is one of the largest United States Masters Swimming teams and is a 501(c)(3) organization. This is our fifteenth year of hosting this community fundraiser. Proceeds from Swim for Life support a number of small local organizations assisting individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as the Chester River Association, which advocates for the health of the Chester River. We invite all swimmers, old and new, to join us in participating in this wonderful event.

Event Flyer: All of the detailed information and maps are contained in the Event Flyer. All participants and volunteers are encouraged to download a print a copy for themselves.

Download the Event Flyer: Click HERE

Online Registration and Fundraising powered by ClubAssistant.com

REGISTRATION: The registration fees for Swim for Life are $30.  With your registration fee, you will receive breakfast, picnic lunch, a swim cap and a t-shirt. We strongly encourage swimmers to register for Swim for Life though Club Assistant, which allows you to reach out to family and friends and collect donations online. Club Assistant will also confirm your USMS registration or allow you to purchase your one-event USMS registration (“OEVT”) if you are not USMS-registered.  Online entries are paid by credit card to "ClubAssistant.com Events". 

Online registration will close at 11:59 pm eastern daylight time on Thursday July 13, 2017. We will still accept race-day registrations (paper form will be available online Friday July 14, 2017 or at the race venue on the day of the race) if you are unable to register online.

PLEASE NOTE: You must be a United States Masters Swimming (USMS) registered swimmer to participate in this swim. See www.usms.org/reg/ to register with USMS. If you are not a USMS member, a one-event USMS registration (OEVT) for a fee of $30.00 is available via online registration. However, please consider joining USMS. If you plan on registering day of and are USMS registered, please bring your USMS card to the swim.

FUNDRAISING/AWARDS:  Each swimmer must contribute a minimum of $100 in pledges; many swimmers raise far more. Special prizes will be awarded to the top 10 fundraisers, based on pledges submitted by the start of the event. If you register online, you can submit your minimum pledge online and you can direct your sponsors to the online donation option. Pledge checks can be made payable to “DCAC Swim for Life.” Checks, cash, and credit cards will be accepted on the day of the event. For more tips on fundraising, click here.

The top finishers, male and female, in “Wise” (> 45 yrs old) and “Energetic” (up to and including 45 yrs old) categories for each distance will also receive awards.

Funds raised are distributed to our charities: Heart to Hand, Inc., Quality of Life Retreats, and the Chester River Association.

LOCATION: This year’s event will again take place at Rolph’s Wharf Marina on the Queen Anne’s County side of the Chester River, three miles south of Chestertown in Kent County.

DIRECTIONS: From the Chesapeake Bay Bridge: Take 50 East to 301 North. 50 East and 301 North separate approximately 9 miles past the Bay Bridge. Stay on 301 by taking the left fork. In approximately 5 miles, take the Route 213 North exit toward Chestertown and Washington College. After 2 miles, you will pass through Centreville. Proceed another 10 miles and turn left onto Rolph’s Wharf Road. A Swim for Life banner will mark this turn. Follow Rolph’s Wharf Road for 2 miles and a volunteer will direct you for parking. If you plan to drive Saturday morning, it is best to leave early to avoid summer bridge traffic.

SCHEDULE:
(note there could be slight changes to the exact start and end time due to weather conditions)

7:00-8:15 am     On-Site Registration (check-in) and Breakfast
8:30 am              Opening Ceremony and Swimmer Instructions
9:00 am              Swim Start
12:30 pm           Swim Cutoff; Picnic Celebration and Awards Ceremony

Every swimmer must be registered and checked-in by 8:15 am on race day. All pledge money not submitted online also is due by 8:15 am, to be counted towards determination of fundraising prize winners. ABSOLUTELY NO changes to race distance will be permitted after registration closes. To ensure the validity of the swim results, except for safety reasons, no mid-course corrections will be allowed. If you do not complete your designated distance, you MUST inform the event coordinators. During check-in, swimmers will be body-marked and capped according to distance, and will receive a timing chip on a velcro strap, to be worn around one ankle.

COURSE: Participants will start and finish at Rolph’s Wharf, in six waves by distance (5 mile starts first). The swims are out (upriver) and back (downriver) and run parallel to shore. Course map and swimmer instructions attached. The course is marked by inflatable yellow buoys at 0.5, 1, 1.2 (for the 2.4-mi Triathlon Challenge), 1.5, 2, and 2.5 miles. Swimmers should always keep the buoys to their left, with the exception of the 2nd buoy at 1 mile on the return (see course map). Water safety officials have the authority to determine when a swimmer needs to be removed from the water. Any swimmer removed from the water must report immediately to the recording station upon returning to shore. The swim ends promptly at 12:30 pm. Any swimmer still in the water at that time will be picked up by safety personnel.

WATER: Water temperature on swim mornings is usually in the mid-70s. Wetsuits are allowed (but most swimmers do not wear one as the water is very comfortable); other flotation devices (e.g., pull buoys, paddles, fins) are not. USMS regulations prohibit wetsuits if temperatures exceed 78 degrees, as they have in the past three years.

TRAINING/ELIGIBILITY: All swimmers must be 18 years of age and registered with USMS to participate in this swim. USMS registration is easy to do online at www.usms.org/reg/. One-event USMS memberships, good for this event only, are available for a fee of $30 though Club Assistant during online registration. All swimmers are urged to train for this event, and novices are urged to enter the shorter distance waves.

SAFETY: Safety support at the swim will be provided by the U.S. Coast Guard and their Auxiliary, Maryland Natural Resources Police, the Chesapeake Paddlers’ Association, the Chester River Association, the Kent and Queen Anne’s Rescue Squad, Chesapeake Bay Boston Whalers Club, and other local volunteer boaters and kayakers.

EVENT POSTPONEMENT / CANCELLATION: In the event of inclement weather or other emergency, the event may be postponed up to 2­ hours. No “rain date” is scheduled. As no registration fees are being required, no refunds of any donations will be made. Refunds of OEVT registration fees received via online registration prior to the event will be made if requested. Modification of the event distances is at the discretion of the Event Director and may be made in the event of impending weather concerns. Cancellations and modifications to the event will be at the sole discretion of the Event Director and Safety Coordinator, in coordination with the US Coast Guard and local authorities.

For additional information:
Please email swimforlife@swimdcac.org or call Ross Linderman at (206) 419-6654
HAVE FUN, RELAX, ENJOY EACH OTHER, THE DAY, AND THE RIVER!